


East Blue Saga

by JustBeMe13



Series: Replay [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Back to the past, Gore warning, Multi, Nakama, Plot changes, Temporary Character Death, Time Travel, alternate pasts, coming back early in the past and coming back late, more straw hat pirates, trying to fix everything
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 08:54:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29061657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustBeMe13/pseuds/JustBeMe13
Summary: The story begins anew, with memories of how it all went before. Luffy has the chance to do it all again and save his friends from a terrible fate.There's no way he won't take that chance.Rewritten from "To Find the One Piece and Save My Nakama" or something.
Relationships: Kaya/Usopp (One Piece)
Series: Replay [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2132154
Kudos: 26





	East Blue Saga

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!
> 
> So this is a rewritten story from something I posted on FFN. I hope you will all enjoy it. It wil have multiptle chapters. 
> 
> There's a little gore, which I'm warning for right now. If you don't want to read that, skip over the part that begins with these words: "Luffy could picture it, and it was anything but pretty."  
> And it ends with: "Luffy shuddered in Zoro’s arms at the thoughts swimming through his head." 
> 
> Be careful and stay healthy and safe!
> 
> Author-chan

Luffy’s eyes snapped open, heart thundering in his chest so loud he felt the blood rushing through his ears. His breath sped up, around him was only darkness and a creeping closeness. His hands flew up and around, feeling rough wood under his fingers as they roamed around to find some light. He didn’t find an opening right away and Luffy felt panic setting into his limbs.

Where was he? Where was he? Should he be here? Last he remembered he was lying lifelessly in Zoro’s arms, Roger’s voice resonating through his head as his vision slowly clouded over. Zoro had been trembling, Sanji had been screaming bloody murder from somewhere, his voice hoarse and tearful.

Luffy, for a moment, really didn’t understand where he was. By all rights he should be no more, gone, deceased, departed, perished, fallen, slain, DEAD. He should be dead. He had felt the life leave his body, had felt it as his heart stopped beating.

And then he was here, breathing, alive, pulse rushing through him at an incredible rate. Was this Hell? A tiny space in which he would suffer for an eternity before going to Heaven? It couldn’t be, could it? Wood wasn’t here to kill him; it wouldn’t be strong enough to pierce him anywhere. Maybe if he got bashed on the head and thrown into the ocean, but that was about it.

Luffy shook his head, this couldn’t be Hell. Hell was fire and death and poison and the murky stench of blood. Luffy knew that stench, it came from Zoro most of the time, he always smelled like it no matter how much he would scrub his skin. The Swordsman was bathed in it most of the time, like some savage beast. Something gripped around Luffy’s heart and he gasped, feeling the space around him become smaller and smaller. He needed out of this thing, right now.

With a shout, Luffy punched upwards and broke through the wood above his head, debris raining down on him. Light streamed into the wooden prison and Luffy sat back with a sigh of relieve, breathing in familiar salty ocean air. He closed his eyes and reveled in the sway of the ocean he could now finally feel. Minutes before he had been so stressed, not knowing where he was, what had happened to his Nakama?

… Fuck…

Luffy snapped his eyes open again to look at the clouds as they passed him by. He felt something heavy in his stomach and he willed it to go away; now was not the time to get sentimental, nor emotional. He couldn’t afford it, he had things to do.

The straw-hat wearing kid pushed himself up and steadied the wooden barrel he found himself in. This was somehow familiar to him. Luffy frowned and gazed out over the open ocean, the waves quiet and the sun reflecting on the ocean surface. It was peaceful, quiet, serene.

“Where am I?” Luffy asked himself.

He didn’t feel right, not really right anyway. It felt like he was out of place, out of time. Like he shouldn’t be here.

Something snapped in his head and Luffy’s eyes widened. He’d gone back in time! Roger’s words had been true, he’d spoken of it before Luffy’s life faded, and what he’d said was true! Now he had a chance to save his friends! Luffy whooped happily, then quickly cut it off as the barrel tilted a little too far for comfort. He steadied it and let out the breath he had been unconsciously holding.

“Alright then, first things first. Where am I?” Luffy asked himself, placing one hand over his eyes to shield it from the sun.

He looked over the waves and peered into the nothingness of the ocean to see if he could spot anything familiar. There was nothing at first, but he kept staring for what felt like ages. Finally, he saw something. Luffy grinned as he spotted a vessel not far from where he was. It was a cruise ship he had seen once before, from the inside. There was going to be fun on that ship, he already knew that.

Luffy began waving his arms and shouting for help, even though he knew he could just as well shoot himself over to it. He didn’t want to startle the people on said ship. After some loud shouting and attracting attention in all sorts of ways, the ship came closer and Luffy could stretch his arm to grab the railing. He hoisted himself up, watching as the barrel was crushed by the hull.

A few sailors grabbed him by the shoulders and under his armpits to hoist him up and onto the deck. Luffy let out a laugh, relieved to be on a ship once more. He missed Merry, Sunny too. One of the sailors looked down on him, a frown on his face.

“What’re you doing all the way out here, boy?” he asked, voice rough and deep.

Luffy grinned. “I got stuck in a barrel,” he replied.

The man frowned some more before shrugging and pulling Luffy upright and to his feet. Luffy grinned again and thanked the man, wondering if this was really the ship that would be attacked later that day. There was also some sort of sensation inside him, telling him something important was close by.

“Thanks for getting me out,” Luffy said to the man before him.

“Sure thing, kid. Where you off to?” he asked curiously, setting his hands on his hips.

Luffy set his hat straight on his head and kept his fingers on the brim, reminiscing on the past with a small smile. He felt like he hadn’t seen Shanks in more than a few years. It felt like it had been absolutely ages. Which it actually was, now that Luffy thought about it.

“I’m going to Shells Town,” Luffy said. “I’m looking for two friends of mine.”

The man grunted, “Alright, I’m sure we’ll find a spot to drop you off safely.”

Luffy smiled, happy that he encountered no trouble so far. Now if he could only figure out that important something. Luffy looked down on himself, for the first time since he knew he had returned to the past. His body was slim, but still had a fair amount of muscle. The scar on his chest was gone and Luffy felt relieved in some sort of way. He wore his red shirt with the blue shorts and his always present sandals, hat firmly fitted on his head.

Ready for the journey ahead, it seemed.

Finally, Luffy had a moment to focus on the colors around him, the wills of people and their auras. He focused on one that seemed particularly familiar and reached out. A soft, yet strong and powerful orange aura enveloped him like a warm hug and he found himself smiling. The orange aura reminded him or tangerines and a certain person’s soft wavy hair.

Nami was on the ship.

Luffy felt himself grin so big his stretchy cheeks hurt. He opened his eyes and looked around the deck, she was probably somewhere safe for now, he wouldn’t need to worry about her for a while. The straw-hat wearing Pirate could feel his strong red aura mix with the slighter orange as they welcomed each other back. Nami’s aura seemed older, stronger, wiser somehow. He guessed she’d been here a lot longer than he had.

“Glad to be back,” Luffy whispered, even though he knew Nami couldn’t hear him from where he stood on the deck.

Before he could say anything else, a cannonball struck the side of the ship and Luffy toppled over in surprise. He grunted and held onto the railing, keeping himself upright. He peered out over the water to see Alvida’s ship approaching the cruise vessel. They were already shooting more cannonballs and Luffy ran to the other side of the ship to stop one of them.

He inflated and bounced it back, letting it crash into the ocean. A few of the sailors looked on in horror and then began preparing for a fight.

“Pirate attack!” somebody shouted and then Luffy heard screaming.

People came running out on deck in a panic, but once they saw the Pirate ship they quickly ran back inside. Luffy could feel Nami’s aura getting closer and suddenly, she burst through the door, laying her eyes on him.

Luffy noted that she looked different. Her hair was even shorter than it had been the first time he met her. It suited her, framing her face and curling around her ears, but out of the way. Her brown eyes sparkled brightly and her mouth parted in a toothy smile. She was still quite flat-chested, but she was developing. Her clothes consisted of a tight shirt with a short jacket thrown over it. A square scarf was tied around her neck, small earrings in her ears. She wore a pair of tight pants with calve high boots, pants tucked inside.

“Hi,” Luffy said happily.

Nami grinned and turned her head towards the onslaught of enemies that were coming closer by the second. She grabbed her bo-staff, which was strapped to her thigh in a thigh holster. She clicked it together and brandished it.

“Glad to see you again,” she said to Luffy, a sparkle in her eyes.

“Yeah,” Luffy said. “Let’s get Koby off that ship,” he added.

Nami agreed and lifted her staff towards the sky, slamming away a cannonball with it. Luffy looked at her in surprise, shocked that the weapon survived that attack.

“What’d you do to it?” he asked her.

“Visited Usopp,” she said. “He got rid of Kuro as soon as he could, made Kaya very happy. He’s also trying to help her with becoming a Doctor.”

Luffy’s brows shot up as he deflected another cannonball. “Really, that’s great! Would she want to sail with us?” he asked.

“I think she would, but I don’t know who’ll be in charge of her house. I guess Merry then,” Nami replied, batting a Pirate in the head.

Luffy nodded and jumped upwards to land on the other ship. Koby was nowhere to be seen yet and he wanted to help the kid, help him become the Marine he was in the future. He needed Koby to be his friend, to have his back sometimes. Then, finally, he saw the kid, and Alvida. 

“Get up there!” the fat lady shouted and brandished her club.

Koby yelped and curled into a ball, waiting for the hit that was sure to come. Luffy quickly intervened. he stepped in front of Koby and stopped the incoming kick with his shin. Alvida glared at him immediately and Luffy could feel Koby getting up slightly, looking at him with wide eyes.

“Get out of the way, kid,” Alvida growled and pulled her club off her back to slam it into Luffy.

“No,” he said in return.

Alvida snarled and swung her spiky club, only to have it stopped by Nami’s bo-staff with a clang. Nami grinned at the woman and pushed her back.

“It’s not very nice to kick a kid,” she said icily.

Alvida shrieked in anger and kicked at Luffy; he jumped away from her as did Nami, who grabbed Koby by the hand to keep him from harm.

“Who are you?!” Koby asked in a panic, eyes wild and wide.

“We’re Pirates,” Luffy heard Nami say, and he smiled. “We’re here to help you.”

“Really?” Koby asked, a little scared still.

“Yeah,” Nami said with a smile. “But we’re not going to do everything for you, you have to fight for your own dreams after all.”

Koby looked at her with wide wondrous eyes. Luffy grinned, she’d played him on his feelings and his dreams. She was a sneaky witch, just like Zoro always said, for which he would receive a kick afterwards.

“I want to fight for my dreams,” Koby said as he watched Luffy, who was now slamming his fist into Alvida’s gut.

The woman screeched and swung the club, to which Luffy ducked and avoided it.

“What are your dreams?” Nami asked, slamming a Pirate on the side of the head.

Koby stood from where he was still sitting and he squeezed his hands into fist, eyes going hard and glaring at Alvida as she stopped one of Luffy’s punches.

“I don’t want to be her cabin boy anymore! I want to be a Marine!” he shouted, tears filling his eyes.

Alvida’s face went white in her shock and anger, but then she shouted and brought her club down on the deck, shattering the wood and throwing the weapon at Koby’s head. Luffy was nowhere near to stop it and he quietly watched as Koby realized this. The young boy yelped and ducked, rolling to the side to avoid the weapon. The club buried itself into the ground behind him and Koby looked at it in horror.

Luffy burst out laughing. “Good dodge!” he yelled as he readied his fist once again. “Goodbye lady,” he added and brought both his hands forwards in a Bazooka move.

Alvida was hit right in her gut and she went flying off the ship with an angered shout, vowing vengeance on Luffy and Nami. Koby watched her fly away with wide eyes, tears streaming over his cheeks thickly. He glanced at Luffy and Nami, trembling fiercely.

“It’s alright now, Koby,” Luffy said, laying a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You can follow your dreams and become someone to be proud off, I’m sure of it.”

Koby nodded and wiped his nose on his shirt, sniffling quietly. “Thank you,” he said to Luffy, genuinely happy, it seemed.

Luffy grinned and looked at Nami. “We should get going, Zoro’s gotta be waiting for us by now.”

Nami agreed and replaced her bo-staff in her holster. She then motioned for Luffy to make a boat ready while she disappeared off the deck. Some sailors were looking at them with wide eyes and gaping mouths.

“Come on, Koby,” Luffy said and made his way towards one of the lifeboats.

“Where are we going?” Koby asked softly, trotting up beside Luffy as they walked away.

“Shells Town,” Luffy answered.

He grabbed one of the lifeboats and began making it ready for departure. He took off the protective cover and instructed Koby to get in the boat. Once the pinkette had done so, Luffy cut one rope and the boat dropped to the waves, Koby’s scream of surprise hanging in the air. Luffy laughed and laughed and then got bonked on the head by Nami as she returned.

“You idiot!” she said to his smoldering body on the floor.

“Sowwy,” Luffy managed and crawled back up. 

The Pirate Captain jumped ship and landed in the small boat, rocking it heavily. Nami came after him, dropping a large bag of gold into the boat next to Koby.

“Alright then,” Nami said as she clapped her hands together. “Time to get out of here. We’re going north,” she added with a grin, showing her compass to Luffy.

Luffy nodded his head once and unfurled the sail, the wind catching it immediately and carrying them away from the cruise ship. Luffy sat down with a sigh then and let his head hang backwards, face to the sun.

“You look like your old self,” Nami said softly as she went to sit by the rudder, her voice melancholy.

Luffy sighed again and nodded. “Yeah, I wanna change into something else,” he said quietly.

Nami smiled softly and steered the boat into the direction she wanted to have it. They were quiet for a while, sailing the ocean with a comforting silence between them all. It wouldn’t be long until all of them were back together again. 

**o-o-o**

They arrived in Shells Town as evening fell and Nami went to rent a hotel room for Koby and herself, knowing Luffy would be off finding Zoro even if it took him all night. And to prove his point, Luffy immediately shot off to find his Swordsman. Nami took Koby with her to look for a hotel and somewhere to eat. She knew Luffy had met a kind woman with her daughter Rika, and Zoro had probably protected that child once again.

Once they’d checked into a hotel, Nami took Koby to the bar and they indeed found the woman and her child, a happy looking pair serving their customers.

“Hey, excuse me,” Nami said to the mother.

“What can I get you?” Ririka asked with a smile.

“I’m looking for a man with green hair and three swords, have you perhaps seen him?” Nami asked as she sat down at a table.

Ririka frowned, her brows drawing together. “You mean Roronoa Zoro?” she asked curiously, filling a glass with booze for Nami and one with water for Koby.

Nami nodded her head. “Yeah, me and my friend came to look for him. He’s our crewmate you see,” she explained, taking the glass offered to her.

From the side, Koby paled considerably at hearing Zoro’s name. He opened his mouth to say something, only to shut it once Nami glanced at him with one of those creepy smiles of her. The pinkette gulped and instead of asking drowned his question in his glass of water.

“I know him, he saved my daughter’s life. Then he promised the son of the Marine Captain that he’d go with him as punishment for killing his dog. We haven’t seen him since,” Ririka said, worry slipping into her tone.

“Ah, that’s okay,” Nami said reassuringly. “He’s probably fine. My friend has already gone looking for him. I expect them to be back very soon,” she added.

Ririka nodded her head and released a tiny smile. “Would you like something to eat?” she asked to change the topic.

Nami nodded her head. “Yes please, something light, I suppose. Do you serve tangerine salad’s?” she asked.

Ririka nodded and wrote the order down on her notepad. “And for you, young man?” she asked Koby.

“Ah, me?” he asked, looking at Ririka and then at Nami.

The red-head nodded and smiled at him, gesturing for him to go ahead. Koby swallowed and looked back at Ririka before ordering something simple as well. Ririka took his order and said to them she’d be back soon, then left them to their own devices.

“Will Luffy really be fine?” Koby asked, eyes wide and concerned as he looked at Nami and fiddled with his glasses.

Nami nodded happily. “Of course, he is the Captain after all.”

That seemed to relieve Koby, if only just a little bit.

**o-o-o**

Luffy’s mouth curled into a grin as he peeked over the stone hedge separating him from the courtyard. His elongated neck brought his head over the edge and he spotted Zoro immediately, strapped to the cross like he’d been the first time Luffy had met him. Luffy snapped his head back to his shoulders and clambered onto the wall, letting his legs fall over the other side as he contemplated the best way to wake his First Mate.

Zoro’s aura was also stronger now, his outfit much the same as when he’d returned from their two year separation. His Haki was stronger as well, Luffy could feel it reach for him, green, gentle and vicious. Ashura was hiding underneath it all, ready to burst to the surface and mercilessly slaughter everyone in it’s path.

Zoro had on his long green coat, a black sash tied around it, his bandana around his head hiding his green hair. Luffy spotted his three earrings, the gold sparkling in the evening light. He looked like a sleeping monster, and it was better to let those sleep than to wake them.

Not that Luffy cared about that anyway, he’d wake Zoro regardless of his terrible morning attitude.

The young Captain hopped off the wall and walked towards Zoro leisurely. He had all the time in the world right now. He stopped before his First Mate and looked down on him, raising his brows with a wicked smile on his face. One of his fingers stretched and he creeped it towards Zoro’s haramaki covered belly, out to tickle him.

“Don’t you dare.”

He was interrupted as Zoro lifted his head and stared at him with cold grey eyes. A wicked smile played on the man’s lips and he cocked his head to the side in question and mock.

“Finally decided to show up, idiot Captain?” Zoro asked, teeth gleaming white.

Luffy rolled his eyes. “Yeah, so what?” he retorted. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

Zoro sighed. “That’s true. Nami with you?” he asked.

Luffy simply nodded.

“Great,” Zoro muttered. “Hurry up and untie me, I’m getting cramps here.”

Luffy huffed a laugh and began untying the Swordsman, commenting on Zoro’s new look. Zoro shrugged, saying he could just as well get something nicer before meeting the crew again. Luffy also asked him when he’d gotten back, to which Zoro answered that he’d been there for roughly four months.

“Really?” Luffy asked. “I came back this morning, found myself in the barrel. I met up with Nami on the cruise ship where I first met Koby and then we went here,” he added, carefully untying the knots of Zoro’s bindings.

Zoro hummed. “Well, it’s not so bad to be here earlier, we had a lot of time to do things to prepare. The other’s have been back for some time now, we’ve all had contact. We were just waiting on you, Captain,” the Swordsman said.

Luffy felt himself deflate as he untied the last knot. “I made you all wait for me, again.”

Zoro shook his head, shrugging off the ropes and tugged Luffy into a hug, surrounding the younger man with warmth.

“It’s alright, we’re at least glad you’re here now, and that’s all that matters. A lot of us got chances to change things in the timeline. But that’s for later, let’s kick some ass now,” Zoro said as he hugged Luffy tightly.

Luffy wrapped his arms around him in return and smiled happily. His family was back together, sort of, and they were all alive and happy. Last time he saw them was less happy. Luffy felt a sadness well within him as he thought of the last moments he saw his crew, and in what state they had been. It had been horrible.

Luffy could picture it, and it was anything but pretty.

Zoro had a punctured lung, a fractured skull as well as one broken arm and a splintered shin, in his arms a broken and battered Luffy, dying and taking his last breaths while hearing the voice of the former Pirate King in their heads.

Nami had been electrocuted and pierced with her own bo-staff, lying in a pool of her own blood on the sand of the last island, her log pose going crazy on her mangled wrist as it could not comprehend the magnetic field of the last island.

Usopp had been hanging from a tree by his Sniper King cape, hands fractured and nose broken, one of his legs had twisted a strange way and his eyes staring dead ahead, his bag tangled around his middle and plants pouring out of it in a panic.

Sanji had been lying on the sand, crawling towards either Nami or Zoro and Luffy, shouting his voice hoarse as he dragged himself with handless arms, blood was all over him, both legs broken horribly and disfigured and getting worse as he tried to reach his friends.

Chopper… nobody knew what had happened, he’d just appeared on the deck, blood all over him and pouring from every open wound on his body, collapsing on the deck in the middle of the Sunny’s lawn, turning the green grass a sickly red.

Robin’s head had been turned the other way, her body twisted all sorts of ways in a manner her own Devil Fruit could inflict, several sea prism stone spears sticking out of her body as she lay on the sand, coloring it red with her blood.

Franky had been torn apart by something magnetic, pulling all his body parts from their place and scattering them along with his organs and everything that made him Franky, nothing of him remained as he was scattered on the sand.

Brook had been broken to pieces, white fragments of bones littering the beach, and his skull had rolled close to Sanji, who’d screamed in horror and kicked it away with his broken leg, immediately cringing as he’d done so, tears welling in his eyes.

Jinbei had disappeared before any of them knew what had happened to him, and the last Marine they had defeated before collapsing themselves had a black knot of hair in his hands as if it had been a proud trophy he could brandish.

Luffy shuddered in Zoro’s arms at the thoughts swimming through his head. They were all equally horrible, and Luffy couldn’t have stopped them. The Marines had them cornered and the attack had been a surprise. Nobody could have fought off ten warships and all three admirals at once. It was impossible.

“You okay?” Zoro asked as he pushed Luffy back a little, hand on his shoulder and looking him in the eye.

Luffy sniffled and nodded. “Yeah, I’m just glad we’re all back together again,” he whispered and wiped at his damp eyes.

Zoro smiled softly. “Me too, Luffy, me too,” he replied, squeezing the boy’s shoulder.

“Let’s go kick some Marine ass,” Luffy said as he lifted up his head, looking at the dying sunlight.

“How ‘bout we do that tomorrow,” Zoro interrupted. “Let them sweat for a while thinking I escaped on my own,” he added with a manic grin.

Luffy snorted, but nodded anyway. “But we have to make sure Rika is safe,” he said seriously.

Zoro nodded and motioned for Luffy to lead the way to wherever they were going. The straw-hat wearing kid hopped over the wall once more and they made their way to Ririka’s bar, where Nami was just finishing her salad and Koby finished his own meal. 

“Hey guys!” Zoro greeted and Nami stood up with a squeal to hug him tightly.

“I’m so glad!” she said, burying her face in Zoro’s shoulder.

Zoro hugged her back and then released her to look at a terrified Koby. He grinned at the kid and took a seat in one of the other chairs, swinging his legs up on the table, boots clunking down harshly.

“You pig, get those off,” Nami scolded, giving his boots a weak slap.

Zoro grumbled but did as told. “Whose the shrimp?” he asked with a grin, pointing his thumb at Koby.

“I-I’m…” Koby stuttered. “… Koby…” he whispered.

Zoro grinned like a maniac and leaned forwards. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Koby,” he said.

Koby stuttered again, face red. “Yeah, nice to m-meet you, t-too,” he managed.

Luffy smirked from behind him and went to sit at the table as well, and Nami waved over Ririka again. The woman paled considerably at seeing Zoro at her table, grinning like nothing was amiss.

“How did you-? But, I don’t understand?” she asked Nami.

“I told you my friend here was looking for our crewmate, didn’t I?” she said with a smile, ruffling a hand through her short red locks. 

“He’s… your crewmate?” Ririka asked.

Nami simply nodded. Ririka copied her.

“What would you two like to eat?” she asked Zoro and Luffy.

Zoro pursed his lips. “How ‘bout some tasty onigiri?” he asked. “With extra sugar,” he added and winked.

Ririka smiled slowly and nodded, “Something else?”

“Sake?” Zoro asked.

Ririka nodded and turned her head to look at Luffy, then didn’t even ask him and walked away while scribbling on her notepad furiously. Nami snickered and Zoro huffed out a laugh as Luffy looked on in confusion. Koby seemed out of the loop and didn’t even understand what was happening.

They began talking, catching up with what everyone had been doing, and Nami told Luffy something interesting. Zoro had been back for four month, but Nami… she had been back for way longer than that.

“I got back the moment Nojiko took me into her arms,” Nami said.

Luffy frowned. “When you were just a baby?” he asked.

Nami nodded, “Yeah, I was frustrated for a long time because I couldn’t move very well on my own, and I had to act like a baby to not raise any suspicion. Bellemere rescued us and the more I grew up in Cocoyashi I knew Arlong would come along some day. And I was right.”

Luffy listened intently as Nami told her story, and Zoro kept Koby busy with another tale altogether.

“The day he came, I told Bellemere and Nojiko that I’d make a deal with Arlong to keep them safe. They weren’t glad about it, but it kept them alive. I became Arlong’s crewmember again and did everything he asked of me. I mapped lands, oceans, all of it. I did steal treasure as well, more than before now that I knew how it would all go down. Bellemere and Nojiko were safe, and that was all that mattered to me.”

Luffy watched as Nami gripped her shoulder, where he knew her tattoo would be. It was covered by her jacket, but it still hurt her in some way.

“I’m glad your mom is still alive,” Luffy said softly, taking Nami’s hand.

Nami smiled. “Me too,” she said. “Let’s eat, and then go to bed. Any of you fancy taking turns watching the bar?”

“I’ll go first,” Zoro said as he drank straight from the sake bottle Ririka had brought him.

“Are you sure?” Nami asked, her eyes shining with worry.

Zoro nodded and wiped his mouth. “Yeah, I’ll make sure the little brat’ll be alright.”

With one nod from Nami, chatter started up again and the night continued slowly.

**o-o-o**

Early morning sun woke them all up, snoozing away in their comfortable beds in the hotel room. Zoro had returned somewhere around midnight and was now blinking awake slowly, looking right and left to see both Nami and Koby still sleeping peacefully.

Luffy was on guard at the bar, would sound the alarm if something went horribly wrong. Zoro yawned and his jaw cracked with the force. He swung his legs over the bed and blinked sleepy tears from his eyes. Time to kick some Marine butt and relieve some stress. Zoro secured his swords at his side and went to wake up Nami, shaking her shoulder gently.

“Time to get up,” he grunted.

Nami’s brows drew together and she blinked open one eye. It traveled to look at Zoro and she groaned, running a hand through her messy hair. She sat up and waved Zoro away. The Swordsman nodded and went to wake up Koby, taking the young man out of the hotel room and towards the bar so that Nami could change her clothes.

“Are we going to fight the Marines?” Koby asked in a terrified voice.

He looked shaken and scared, ready to run away. He reminded Zoro off Usopp somehow, and a fond smile graced his face. The Swordsman planted his hand on Koby’s head and ruffled his pink hair.

“Don’t worry so much, we’re strong, we can take them,” he said.

Koby seemed a little more reassured at his words and stopped shaking so much. They entered the bar again and Rika immediately came to meet them, hugging Zoro around his waist.

“You’re alright!” she said happily.

Zoro patted her on the head and stooped down to smile at her. “I’m fine, thanks to your amazing rice-balls.”

Rika blushed and smile happily. “I’m glad,” she said.

Zoro smiled again and stood once more. “Where’s that idiot Captain of mine?” he asked the young girl.

“He’s on the roof, watching the Marine base,” Rika pointed above her as she said that.

Zoro nodded and told Koby to stay in the bar and keep Rika company while he would talk with Luffy. Koby nodded and Zoro made his way to the roof, spotting Luffy crouching on the edge.

“Oi, don’t fall off, idiot,” Zoro said as he came to stand next to him.

“I won’t,” Luffy grinned, looking up at Zoro. “They just sounded the alarm, I’m guessing they’ll be here soon. Or should we fight them at the base?” the boy asked.

Zoro shrugged. “I don’t care either way, Morgan has to be taught a lesson though,” he growled.

Luffy snickered his trait mark laugh and stood, stretching and cracking his joints. “I say we fight them in the courtyard, we don’t need to bother the civilians with this fight.”

Zoro nodded his head and lay a hand over his swords, thumb trailing along Wado Ichimonji fondly. Luffy followed the motion, frowning.

“You couldn’t save her like Nami could her mother,” he stated.

Zoro nodded quietly. “It doesn’t matter. If she hadn’t died I wouldn’t have gotten Wado and I wouldn’t be able to become the Greatest. I mean, I’m sad that she’s gone, but this is how it was supposed to be, so I’m okay with it,” he said.

Luffy nodded and turned back to look at the base, where there was a lot of activity now that the soldiers had been roused. “Let’s go,” he said, stretching his arm to the next building.

He hopped onto the other building and Zoro followed after him. One sword already drawn and a sick grin on his face. They were ready for battle. As they made their way to the courtyard, they could see Nami running over the streets below, bo-staff at the ready. She looked up at them and grinned happily. They all entered the courtyard, stopping the Marines in their tracks with Morgan in front.

“Roronoa Zoro,” the axe-handed man snarled.

“Captain Morgan,” Zoro replied in a very bored tone.

The man snarled some more and looked over the three people before him. A girl with a bo-staff, weak looking. A boy with a straw-hat, also weak looking. And then there was Roronoa, three swords at his side, a wicked look in his eyes. Morgan deemed him the dangerous one and brandished his weapon at the Swordsman.

“You’re a dead man, nobody gets out of punishment without me saying so,” Morgan growled, taking a fighting stance.

Zoro grinned. “Well, my Captain here came to rescue me,” he said, leveling Wado at Luffy.

Morgan frowned, “Captain?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Zoro said. “I’m a Pirate, don’t you know?”

As Zoro grinned wickedly, Morgan went red in the face and he screeched in outrage, rushing forwards to cut Zoro’s head clean off his neck. The Swordsman ducked, and this cued everyone else to start a battle. Morgan’s son was on site, but at the sidelines, watching in horror as his father fought a powerful man.

Luffy stayed a little out of the fray, watching Zoro play around with Morgan. Zoro’s sword skills had leveled up tremendously in the four months he had been back, and Luffy could feel it in his aura and Haki. He was about as strong as he was when they got back together in Sabaody.

Nami hacked into he group of Marines with her bo-staff, hitting left and right and happily twirling from their grasps like a graceful ballerina. Luffy watched her with a smile, too, and punched a Marine in the face as he came too close.

Zoro, for his part, was really just toying with Morgan, slapping his sword around to deflect a powerless blow from the larger man. He soon got bored and brandished his weapon like he should, striking away Morgan’s attack with force and sending the other man stumbling backwards.

Morgan looked shocked. “How? You are no more than a measly Bounty Hunter!” he snarled.

“I’m not a measly Bounty Hunter,” Zoro snapped. “I’m a Pirate!” he shouted and struck forwards, finishing Morgan with an easy attack.

The man fell to the ground, blood spurting from the wound on his chest. He was defeated. Zoro grinned, flicked his sword to the side to rid it of any blood and sheathed it. Now that Morgan was defeated, all the other Marines stopped fighting and began cheering.

“You saved us!” one of them declared.

Then a Marine named Ripper came forwards and thanked them for defeating Morgan.

“He was ruining the island,” Ripper said. “We’ll take care of it now, and of his son. How can we ever repay you?” he asked, thankful, but worried that Pirates had saved them.

Luffy snickered. “That’s alright, just watch Koby for me, he wants to be a Marine someday!” he declared.

“Koby?” Ripper asked in confusion, tilting his head to the side.

Luffy nodded happily. “Yeah, we left him at Food Foo, he has pink hair.”

Ripper nodded slowly. “Alright then, but I have to ask you to please leave the island now,” he said, albeit a bit sadly.

“We understand,” Nami said. “We just came here looking for our crewmate after all,” she said, pointing at Zoro.

Ripper nodded once more and smiled. “Thank you,” he said, saluting them.

Zoro nodded at him in return and then the three of them left back to Food Foo, where Koby was waiting with Rika at his side. She looked terribly sad, but happy at the same time.

“Are you leaving?” she asked and grabbed onto Zoro’s yukata.

He nodded and stooped down to hug her. “Yeah, we have to,” he answered.

“I’ll miss you,” Rika said into his shoulder, sniffling.

“I’ll miss you, too,” Zoro replied.

Luffy smiled and Nami rolled her eyes at their antics, motioning to Luffy that she would go to get the boat ready. Once he nodded, she took off with a skip to her steps. Luffy walked up to Koby and lay a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m leaving you in the care of the Marines, I’m sure you’ll be able to make your dream a reality,” he said to the pinkette.

Koby smiled, though tears streamed over his face. “Thank you, Luffy, for all you did for me. I’ll never forget you. You’re my friend, right?” he asked, wiping his dripping nose.

Luffy nodded and patted him on the head. “Of course, we’ll always be friends.”

Then he laughed and smiled, hugging Koby tightly, before snatching Zoro’s arm and taking him along towards the boat. They jumped onto it, Nami unfurled the sail and the wind took them to open sea. Upon the shore, Luffy could just see Koby saluting them along with the Marines and Rika, a little different, but not as different an ending as it could have been.

Luffy smiled, their adventure was only just beginning, again, and he wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the New World.


End file.
